Fallen tree kills teen, hurts another

WINONA LAKE, Ind. (WANE) - Two Grace College students were hit by a tree early Saturday morning near Winona Lake. Mallori Kastner, 18, died at the scene. Kastner’s friend and fellow student Jeremy Mohr was airlifted to Parkview Hospital and was listed in critical condition as of Monday afternoon.

School officials confirmed the two were sitting in a hammock when one of the trees it was attached to broke at its base falling on the students. The tree was later discovered to be rotten.

Kastner was a freshman at Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake and Mohr is a senior at the college majoring in sports management.

"We have met with Mallori's parents from Wabash, Indiana to comfort them, pray with them, and support them in ways possible. We have met with Jeremy's parents at the hospital in Fort Wayne [Saturday] morning to provide support for them. They have driven from Iowa to be with their son," Ron Manahan, president of Grace College, said in a statement. "We ask all the campus community to be committed to deep prayer for Mallori's and Jeremy's family and friends and for Jeremy's healing."

On-campus activities were canceled for the weekend. Classes resumed on Monday. Many members of the staff and students spent the day reflecting on Kastner who they said made an impression on the community during her short time there as a student.

“She’s just one of those people you want to be around because she just makes you laugh,” Kastner’s residence assistant Lauren McMillian said. “Even if people [did not] know her, they know someone who did so they’re going to be affected by this.”

Kastner was a 2010 graduate of Wabash High School and was a statewide volleyball standout. She continued to play volleyball at Grace College in her freshman year there.

The school’s athletic director, Chad Briscoe said Kastner saw more in Grace than just a school environment. She found a second family in her team and an outlet for her religious beliefs, he said.

School leaders said the same faith is what will carry the Christian college community through its grieving.
The campus counseling office is open until 6 p.m. Sunday for anyone who needs more support. After 6 p.m., the office will return to its regular on-call service.

Grace College is a small Christian college in Kosciusko County. The 2010-2011 enrollment is 1,773 students.

Funeral services will be held at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 188 W. Sinclair Street, Wabash on Wednesday, September 22 at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in Falls Cemetery in Wabash.

Calling is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service , 1241 Manchester Ave. Wabash, with a rosary service at 8:00pm at the funeral home.

Preferred memorials are to the Wabash High School Volleyball Team or Grace College Volleyball Team.